Mikko Heikkilä is gearing up for the fourth round of the European Rally Championship in Latvia. The two-day Tet Rally Liepaja is not an unfamiliar event for the Skoda driver, as he clinched a third-place finish in last year's rally.
This weekend, 31-year-old Mikko Heikkilä and his co-driver, Samu Vaaleri, 26, will be competing in the fourth round of ERC, the TET Rally Liepaja in Latvia. The upcoming event will be the third time Heikkilä, representing The Racing Factory team, is set to hit the fast roads of Latvia. Heikkilä secured a third-place finish in the rally last year.
-It's my third time competing here in Latvia, and I'm feeling really good about it. I have pleasant memories from here, and I enjoy the fast stages. The starting position holds great significance here, so a successful qualifying session is crucial, Heikkilä said.
The special stages in Latvia are not unfamiliar to Heikkilä. Experience on the fast special stages of Liepaja was gained last year as well as in 2020.
-The roads here haven't been as rough in previous years compared to Poland in last month, and they should be in much better condition. There shouldn't be deep ruts, only loose gravel on the roads. Once the loose gravel clears from the racing line, we need to stay within the clean part of the road," explained Heikkilä.
In the previous round in Poland, Heikkilä struggled with the car's setup on the opening day. However, as the competition progressed, the adjustments started falling into place. Heikkilä approaches Latvia largely relying on the setup tweaks from the final day in Poland.
-We will have a test session on Wednesday before the rally week. There isn't much to test, as the setups we found worked well in Poland and should work well here too. With a bit of fine-tuning, the car should fit like a glove," said Heikkilä, ready to tackle the challenging Latvian roads.
Tet Rally Liepaja is held from 17th to 18th of June. The rally consists of ten special stages and 183,89 special stage kilometres.
Tet Rally Liepaja Schedule:
Friday 16.6.
14:20 Shakedown 6,13 km
Saturday 17.6. – 106,81 km
11:00 SS1 – Tukums 1 27,56 km
13:05 SS2 – Tukums 2 27,56 km
14:35 SS3 – Talsi 8,50 km
16:50 SS4 – Ivande 26,02 km
17:40 SS5 – Snepele 14,63 km
20:05 SS6 – Liepaja City 2,54 km
Sunday 18.6. – 77,08 km
08:48 SS7 – Liepieni 1 19,59 km
10:05 SS8 – Krogzemji 1 18,95 km
13:00 SS9 – Liepieni 2 19,59 km
15:05 SS10 – Krogzemji 2 18,95 km Power Stage
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